Swift Flatbed
 

I decided to keep a low profile after having left Arrow. I knew I would continue as a flat-bedder, but I did not know for whom. During the duress in my final days with Arrow, I had been working with two recruiters at Melton. I went and visited them and the company while hanging around in Tulsa.

Most fortunate to have met these people. Norma and Jason at Melton are wonderful. Melton, like CFI, is a first-rate operation. The same, I suspect, would be true at TMC.

I had the privilege of getting to know these folks at Melton as I had so badly wanted to go there from Arrow. I got the full tour of their facilities from John, head of securement. What an outfit. But, they couldn't hire me right away due to lack of enough current OTR experience. They said it was because of insurability. And given all the good treatment I had already received from everyone, I had no reason to doubt what they said.

Faced with the "now what" dilemma, Norma suggested that I go run for Swift for a few months until Melton's requirements were met. After having read the piles of posts regarding Swift here on this board, I almost hung up the phone on her. However, she went on to tell me about the flatbed division. She also had a solid rapport with Ms. Dempsy Hunter, one of the Swift recruiters in PHX.

Despite the angst at Arrow, I came away from the experience with some wisdom.

First and foremost: I need to like and trust the people who I am to work with. This is paramount to almost anything else.

Second: I need to like the equipment. As we all know, our tractor is our office, our home and our money-maker. Call me fussy, but if I don't have a ride that is up to my standards, then I will be unhappy.

Third: I need to like the work that I am expected to do. Moving flatbed freight is by far and large, the coolest thing on the planet, in terms of trucking work. Very similar to yachting with the securement and such. I am very comfortable hauling coils, chassis, pipe, etc.

Fourth: As a bone fide rookie, I know I am at the bottom of the money-chain. But reasonable pay and benefits are important.

Enter Dempsy Hunter @ Swift. Very professional, very courteous, great sense of humor, and knows her stuff when it comes to giving information about company policies and practices. "Refreshingly understated" would be how I would describe her presentation of the position over the phone. She is very sharp indeed and a delight to speak with. She knew that I would be calling her to follow up on Norma's referral. Norma called her while we were sitting together in Melton's recruiting office.

I was out of Arrow for no less than one week before my butt was parked in the classroom at Swift's Gary Indiana terminal. Everything I had been told sounded so "real" that I just made up my mind to *go with the flow* and see what would come. All I wanted was to get back to work and continue with my financial plans.

What a shocker. The hotel is very nice that they use. The lunches served in the classroom are chosen from a menu, as in "you have a choice". The classes are designed with all the customary and obligatory rules, reg's, shoulds and shouldn'ts. Noobs fresh out of school will be doing 42 days with a mentor, for certain. Because I was working prior to coming aboard with Swift, they decided to put me with a local flatbed runner for two weeks (good thing, too). Kelly was an awesome trainer and has since become a good friend.

Upon completing the three-day general orientation, I had another two days of class (with only three other flatbed peeps) having to do with securement and FMCSA 393.100 stuff. Chuck, the guy who teaches the class is a very well-informed veteran flatbed guy. We didn't go out to the yard to do much in the way of hands-on, because likely, the hands would have simply froze off. It's freaking cold up there! So we watched a bunch of videos instead. Chuck figured we'd get plenty of hands-on with our respective mentors.

Speaking of which; they put me on with Kelly, a local flatbed runner at the Gary terminal. This also included another two-ish weeks of hotel accommodations. Swift spent bucks to keep me around. For certain, this has not gone under-appreciated by me. Anywho.... My time with Kelly was extremely informative and lots of fun. Running a double axle day cab is certainly different than driving a 72" condo. We decked coils, we undecked several different types of truck chassis, and we slogged through some of Gary's worst weather. I was doing so well that he tried to get me out solo by the end of the first week, but to no avail. They wanted a bit more time with him "just to be sure" I could handle the task. No problem, thinks I. My room is very cozy.

During my training period, I got to meet with the terminal manager, the flatbed fleet manager and of course, my new DM. Joel, the DM, is in charge of the owner/op flatbedders. How they came to put me on with him remains a mystery. But, I am glad they did. I ran 2900 in my first week, and it looks like I'll hit it again this week. He is very quick to drop a pre-plan on me when I am within striking distance of my finals. Lovin' it..... Very business-like. The flatbed fleet manager, Adam is very cool too. He really took an interest in what I had wished to accomplish and also, what I wanted to drive.

He made me a deal too good to pass up. He told me that he had a Volvo tractor that needed to go back to the Greer terminal to get turned back in. It was a mess, but so what. He said that he had a clean '04 Volvo waiting there for me. So, I cheerfully agreed to get it there. I was promptly given my first load assignment; a 42,000 lb. coil, heading for Pendergrass, GA. I ran down to the Greer, SC terminal, swapped out of the yuk-mobile and right into my current ride. Ides of Betty. The girl came with 248,000 on the odo and was very well taken care of. Yesssss! I got a good one :-) I have yet to sit still, save for a nice restart in Laredo, TX.

I am parked here in Baltimore, MD after making two drops in Fredericksburg, VA and Harrisonburg, VA. I'm at 2100 for the week and will be heading to Forest City, IA, thus making this a 3100 mile week. Yummie.

Everything about my experiences with Swift have been utterly fantastic. Everyone I have come in contact with has been so accommodating and so genuinely interested in me. Not only that, but they have seen the potential that I innately have, and responded to me accordingly. Such has not been the case with my past two trucking jobs.

The flatbed division of Swift is like an island oasis amidst a great sea of 53's. The profitability of the flatbed division is so great, I am told, that they really go out of their way with the flatbed drivers. And, get this.... If flatbed freight is slow, the f/b haulers can pull dry vans during the slump. But I have yet to experience anything like a freight shortage.

The last leg of my haul in Virginia was spectacular. Perfectly clear skies. I was routed through Shenandoah National Park, along route 33 into Harrisonburg. What beautiful country. What a cool trip.

They say that the third time's the charm. And that is where I am at with Swift. My third employer. There has been no abrasion or conflict either in coming through the door, or heading out on my own. Everything has worked out so exceedingly well, that I find I need to pinch myself occasionally just to be sure it's real. Yes, I got to see a cross-section of the people who come to hire on with Swift. Our orientation class whittled down pretty quickly. I've been to the Laredo and Greer terminals along with the Gary terminal. Surprisingly, everyone I've met is very happy running with Swift. They get their miles, they make good money and they have fun doing it. Hmmm. How nice. That's just what I've wanted ever since getting into the business.

I am learning a lot as I go, and everywhere I show up, there's help for the asking. The steel mills are a maze of infrastucture, but the other drivers I've met have been happy to give advice and directions. It's like the world has become available recently. And this is a perfect manifestation of what My Will is all about: To be involved with great people, drive a rig I can be proud of and be comfortable in, and make bucks happen for the company and myself.

Abra cadabra: The Delicate Sound of Thunder....

wow swift has a Flat bed devision? (I wonder where I have been lately). I don't think I knew that, I thought they were just huge on the 53' vans, and auto haulers. but flat? see learn something new each day =D.

Ive seen the flats, but not the parking lots...lol

I see some enclosed parking lots, like what BMT uses, but not nearly as often as I see a swift van rolling down the highway.

Good deal samael! Glad to see you found a good fit with Swift. Now, if things continue to go as well as they have been you'll have to make up your mind if you want to leave them for Melton?

It seems to me with the attitude that you have, you probably would have succeeded like this with any company. Confirms the thinking that I've had all along, the driver has far more control over his success than the company.

I've seen plenty of Swift flats around here. Met a guy in school who ran a dedicated account for them out of Indiana. I'm struggling to remember the name of the town, but he hauled out of there down to the Carolinas and back and pulled in about 800+ per week. He was home one night per week and every weekend and he really enjoyed working there also.

Good luck!

Hope this one works out for you , I remember you raved about the first two companies that you were with the first few weeks to and look how those turned out .

Wasn't there a post a while back saying that Swift had sold off it's auto transport division?

Yes it did, I believe Blue Thunder bought it up.

Hey there....glad to see you "came out" 8)

It sounds as though you are happy there and that is all that matters!

Talk to ya later

tootie

Swift tried to low-ball the other union and non-union auto-haulers using their cookie-cutter blueprint of high-turnover/low-wage newbies working for free. Only problem is that auto-hauling is a skilled-trade and you can't just hire a bunch of steering-wheel holders like in dry-van. So after alot of costly wrecks, massive claims, sky-high insurance premiums, missed deliveries, lost customers etc they found that they just couldn't compete in auto-hauling.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of folks! :D

Yo Clint...I was wondering where you'd pop up. In a white "Swiftie" it appears. Sounds like a good fit for you and the miles are there...good news!!

Are you going to be full 48 states?

samael9, are you percentage or cent per mile and what is the amount. also what about training pay.

Yup. I had no idea either! It's kinda neat, actually. They only have around 500 or so rigs pulling flats. They have 53' step decks and 48' skates, all (or mostly all) spread axles. All the tractors have dual 150 gallon fuel tanks, so the headache racks are moved back aways from the back of the cabs. Makes for some interesting gear-storage situations. But, where there's a will, there's a way. No leaving too many goodies on the cat walk either. The nose of the trailer will clean it all off in a jiffy.

What makes it all feel so good is that the flatbed division is, in fact, very small. It just seems to be all out there on its own. And everything just *works* so well. They have so much dedicated freight. Quite literally, tons of steel heads out of Gary for export to Mexico. Then there's all the Freightliner product. Frame rails come up from Mexico and go to the chassis yard in Gaffney, SC. Finished bus, RV, and utility truck chassis go all over the place. Sprinter vans come out of Daimler Chrysler's VPC in Baltimore and go everywhere. I've seen them stuff some of the delivery vans in 53' vans just to get them delivered.

As I mentioned previously, Swift invested a considerable amount of money in my training; much more so than W/S or Arrow. They really "wanted" me to run for them, or so it would seem. And believe me, I work my tail off for them because of it. I log 600+ mile days routinely. Never late, always ahead of schedule, squeaky clean logs and timely QuaalComs. They never once have to wonder about what's up with their freight.

Yes, I am really thrilled. Yes, I get excited about what I am doing. But this time, the work is working. I earned this one. And I am jazzed. And who gives a sh*t about my last job with Arrow. It got me here.... So in that regard, I guess I am grateful.

I never dreamed that I would see the day that I would work for one of the mega-carriers. Never. Yet here I am. Parked at the Gary terminal after a very nice haul from Baltimore. This trip finals in Forest City, IA tomorrow evening for an early am unload on Monday. I'll have 3100 miles for the week by the time I drop on the 5th. I'll bang out the last 350 or so tomorrow afternoon/evening after I do some shopping in the morning.

I would have to say here that this is a *high* recommend for someone wishing to get into flatbedding. In comparison to some of the other companies, the CPM is a little on the low side, but the mileage more than makes up for it. I was told I would start at 27-28 CPM, but in checking my settlement last week, I am getting 30-31 instead. Pleasantly surprised? You betcha!

Yup, Smooth. I know. (sigh) We will see how it goes over time. Forever the optimist. I thought I had game with the last one, but got no miles two weeks into the running. Very much to the contrary here. You can bet I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed on this gig.

I'll keep the updates comin'

:wink:

[quote="redsfan"]Good deal samael! Glad to see you found a good fit with Swift. Now, if things continue to go as well as they have been you'll have to make up your mind if you want to leave them for Melton?

I think I am going to stay put for a while. Yeah, Melton has the oh-so-fine T-600's with 450 hp Kitty C-15's, 13 speed boxes and big fat super singles. It high-centers my laptop just thinking about it. And the facilities.... Mmm.

BUT... I then wonder; will they run me like Swift has? Will the people be as cool to work with? Will it really be better? Having jumped two companies now, I ask myself "is it worth taking the risk?". Not now. Maybe not at all. I dislike nothing of what I've been given so far and I am now interested in protecting what I have. Frankly, I couldn't see how it could get much better, unless I bought my own tractor and went to a higher paying owner/op company like what Tootie and DH did. But I am quite a ways from doing that.

In hindsight, I should have hung on at Watkins Shepard. My friend pulls flat for them and he is raking it. But I had a chunk of living to do after W/S and I don't regret a moment of it, save for the loss of my dog.

Again, we will see how it goes.

Hey, hey George!

Si'. Great news indeed. I am in the system as all 48, but I haven't been west of CST yet. This sort-of loop from Gary to Laredo to Gaffney and back seems to be working very nicely so far. Yeah, I'm in a white Swiftie. 63 on cruise and 66 on the pedal. (Yawn). I think I'm gonna glue a brick to the bottom of my right driving shoe. Not much to worry about with regards to speeding tickets, unless there's a major tail-wind and the spinnaker is flying. :lol: Now about those winches......

Ahh Clint, just keep the sheet tight and the pole to windward and you'll be fine. As to the winches.....just keep the boat drinks filled up and they'll be happy too... :P

Oh Geomon, you are talkin' my language, oh yeah. I was just suggesting to a friend the other day that we should do a bare-boat charter down in the BVI's after next holiday season. I can check out and captain a sloop up to 50' easily. The Moorings has a nice marina in St. Maarten. St. Bart's is a nice day cruise away.... The mere mention has me swimming in 84 degree Caribbean blue.

Flying a chute while on vacation does seem like a bit too much work though. Especially when the boat has a nice genoa. Just wing the beotch and keep twizzling those little bevvy umbrellas. Yup. I can handle it.

Meanwhile, here's the new Betty standing tall at the NASA visitor's center in Mississippi. She's got a load of frame rails neatly stacked under her tarps and heading for Gaffney, SC. The girl has the Volvo D-12 under the bonnet. Everyone told me how bad the engine is, but I find that she putters along very nicely. Ya just gotta row the gearbox a little to keep her focused on the hill-climbs. She averaged 6.8 MPG on this trip!

http://homepage.mac.com/samael9/Betty/index.html

Well; off to Forest City, IA and my final for this trip. 'Twas a good week for miles. We're very happy with the pace of things.

Until next.

i heard jerry owns some steel mills too.i dropped a trailer at that gary yard and it stank real bad.surely they put up a new building by now

One can only speculate as to how many pies that man has his fingers in. But because of his interests (so I am told) in Freightliner and Vovlo trucks, two things seem to be reasonably sure. We will have lots of Freightliner frieght. The chassis and Sprinter loads are great. They are light, chain up easily and the runs are 1000+ miles from what I've seen so far (and I am quite new to Swift). I happen to really like running a Volvo tractor and Swift has plenty of them. I got my 670 with 249,000 on it. They turn them in at 400,000 miles. So if I run mine for a year, I should get a new one (Don't give me too much sh&t, Smooth) 8) It might just happen!

I was told of the old facility at Gary. Like, it was a shack or something. The newer (if we are talking about the same one) building isn't too bad in the driver lounge area, but the showers are kinda scary. I don't plan on washing when there. It's an in and out thing. I see my DM and fleet manager, hand in paperwork, fuel and hit it.

I made my drop in Forest City IA last night, which puts me at 3100 miles for last week. I woke up to the sound of three beeps on the QC this morning. Off to Earlville, IA to load prefabricated hog pen fencing for some guy near Snowflake, AZ. Almost a 1700 mile trip with a 177 mile dead head. Yeah, baby..... It's a heavy load alright. Like 44,000 lbs. according to the yard manager. I'm pooped. But I scored a great parking spot at the FJ in Waterloo, just before everyone showed up. I figure I'll scale it in the morning before I hit the highway. I think I threw 20 straps today..... Snoozzzzz......... And DM says he's working on getting me a load for the weekend. :shock:

OMG. I am zapped. I made the PHX terminal this evening and I am goin' down like a blind roofer.

But first, the good news. I have one thousand, two hundred and fifteen reasons to love my new job. That's what my settlement came to on last week's trips. I almost blew right through the roof of my Betty when I saw the dollar amount on my QuaalCom screen.

I would write more, but I just ain't got the strength tonight.

8)

I am really pleased......

http://web.mac.com/samael9/iWeb/SwiftBetty/Betty.html

G'night all....

Hey clint,

Have ya recovered yet?? waiting to hear your adventures here....

Glad to see you are happy :D

tootie

Hey tootie, we're waiting to hear your adventures too

:lol:

Yup. Needed the restart. Stayed in the truck on the first night. Didn't have the mustard to do anything but....

Today was spent in the shower, for like, 45 minutes. I did some rearranging of my securement in the morning, just for the sake of organization and exercise. After that, and the major hot-water fix, I went back to Betty for a nap. Then I spent some quality time with my fellow Swifty's. Continually impressed with the prevailing tone of satisfaction floating around the driver's lounges.

Spoke to a bunch of lease operators. They do pretty well! The trainers do extremely well as do the teams. It still looks a toss-up for the solo runners though. Clearly, there are certain tax breaks for leasing a truck. But the increase in income still seems slim, given the additional paperwork and accounting. I'm thinking about it, but have yet to come to any firm decision regarding that kind of thing.

After a nice chat with my DM, it looks like I'll get loaded out either Saturday or Sunday. Coming out of PHX, flatbed freight is a bit weak. I may get to pull a van to get back into the loop in the East. That would be kinda fun, just for "old time's sake". :oops:

After the afternoon update and nap, I decided tonight would be a good hotel evening. I booked a massage, went to Rock Bottom out on Shea, had a great rib-eye and bob'd it back to the hotel, where I sit writing this post.

I just updated my .mac blog, where I will continue to do most of my story telling. You can subscribe to the blog using the RSS button.

Week three, and it feels more and more like I am here to stay with Swift. I love what I am doing and how it is all "just happening". I have some ideas for the division, and in my creative brain, I am going to develop some marketing ideas for expanding the division's scope of practice. We will see how far I get with it or where it goes. Ahh, the brain cells never cease..... 8)

'Til next.

I will be updating tonight with some pics!!

tootie

Clint, whats the hometime like there at swifty? thought about them before and never gave it a second chance. Now you got me interested.

Hi tbogle,

I haven't gotten to the home-time thing yet. I haven't cared about it. I have a home, really I do. But when I go there, I get really bummed about my dog. So I haven't been back in a while. And likely, the next time I go back, it will be to move out.

From what I gather 'round the various campfires at the Swifty lounges, people get to do pretty much what the want. Granted, most of the good folks I've spoken with are van-haulers. I think that they may have more latitude in this regard, as there are like 20,000 of them. And from what I hear from fellow flat draggers is altogether different. Seems like we flatties don't like/want to go home. But my flat-bedding chats are much fewer in number. We are an obscure bunch, or so it would seem.

I don't get to sit much either. I did one restart in Laredo and now one in PHX. The Laredo restart was drawn out by one extra day by my own "bad". I got a pre-plan to Gaffney, SC. I had four days to deliver on a 2 day run. I woke up late that morning (thankfully) and ran to Target to do some shopping. On my way back to the yard, the DM in charge gave the trip to an owner/op. I got an identical load the next day though. So one extra day of rest? Who could complain.... The only other time I sat was for precisely two hours after my drop in Pendergrass, GA. Then boom, off and running.

Funny thing: The psychic hotline was up and running today. Having not forgotten how quickly you can loose a pre-plan, I woke up in my hotel room at 0630 to run out and check my quaaly. Nothin'. So back to bed with a phat cup of coffee and more Weather Channel. Come 0900 a little bug in my ear told me to go out to the truck again.

No sooner did I turn on the key to cycle the quaalcom... three beeps. Viola! 1700 mile run with 8, count 'em, 8 stops. At 40 bucks per stop, plus mileage, I'm at $850 for the trip! Cool. I sent in my macros so fast, it probably shocked the DM who gave it to me.

Home time, you ask? You are asking the wrong guy. Soon, I'll be a permanent resident of Casa de la Betty and vacationing in whatever city I choose.

Oh yes, Speaking of Betty. Much to my surprise, I am just about to roll 10,000 miles with the Swedish Queen. My, how time and miles doth fly...

I've seen a few Swift flatbeds but I guess its not a large division.
I did have a chance to talk to a Swift flatbed driver in Kennesaw, Ga. It was via the CB and it was only to tell her that here trailer lights didnt work. I saw her later on in Brunswick, Ga and reminded her again.....
that her trailer lights didnt work.

LTL flatbed drop-and-stop. Yup, that's the name of the game on this trip! Boy; I am getting really quick at tarping. Didn't quite make Wichita last night. Too much fog coming across US 54 in KS. I bailed into the Wal-Fart lot in Pratt, KS for the evening. Nice of them to have a McDonald's on the other side of the hotel. The coffee is very good.

I hit both my drops before a different DM (out of PHX) even knew about what I was doing. It's kinda been *different* on this trip anyway. I had to leave the PHX yard on Saturday, go pick up the pre-loaded trailer, strap, tarp and run back to the PHX yard to hand in all the paperwork to be verified. While I was over at the "Jake Break" PHX's driver restaurant, the DM actually went out to inspect my securement and tarping. (Sneaky guy....) I got a nice compliment from him after all was said and done.

I got everything all squared away with Charolette. All the depart calls updated, eta's, etc. Cool. Off to Arlington, TX. I called ahead to check for an unload time and found out that they open at 0730. Nice. I could make the drop site this evening and be first in line for the opening bell. Good thing too, because I have two more drops in the area before heading for my final in Atlanta, GA. The total mileage will be in excess of my original trip data, because it didn't include all the drop site routing. I guess-ti-mate roughly 2200 miles by the time it's over.

Meanwhile: I checked in with Tootie and her Dear Husband, as I knew they went to Amarillo to deliver. Wouldn't ya know it? I called them 150 miles to the north of Oklahoma City and they were 100 miles to the west. I wanted to stop for a bite with them in O.C., but we missed each other by 45 minutes or so. As we talk on the phone so often, I really wanted to meet them and put faces to the voices. Oh well. DH has a lot of irons in the fire right now. But we run in the same areas, so it's just a matter of time before we hook up in person.

I figure I should hit my final in Atlanta on Thursday sometime. If things go the way I *think*, I'll likely get deadheaded to Gaffney again to pick up more chassis. This could very well be another killer week.

Me 'n Betty hit our first 10,000 miles today. Hard to believe that so many miles has gone by in such a short period of time.

Yes, Inmate1577. It is a small division. Approximately 500 tractors. But who cares? Not me, that's for certain. The division, or so I can tell, runs like a well-oiled machine. I never sit still, which is how I like it. I am making bank with these people. Everyone treats me well, compliments my work, and keeps piling it on. I don't know, firsthand, how it works on the van side, nor do I really care. This job rules....

sounds like your loving it over there clint. If i decide to jump ship where I am at and decide to go to swift in a few months Ill have to get your truck number so i can give it to them and get you one of those nice bonuses they give yall for referals. Just be sure not to candy coat it to get the bonuses. thx and keep us informed on your progress!

OMG :shock: I made my final for this trip in Kennesaw, GA precisely eight minutes ahead of my ETA. My ETA was one and a half days ahead of dispatch. Nice one.... 2388 miles total.

I awoke at my first drop in DFW, TX yesterday morning @ 0700. They had the coffee ready by 0715 and we commenced the partial unload at 0725. Out, and off to drops #2 and 3. The fog was thick at that early hour. Even with the load fully tarped and a deck-long sheet of plastic beneath, the boxes were a tad soggy.

This load was all aircraft-grade extruded aluminum. And boy, these alu-folks are very picky. They inspect everything before taking it off the deck. That's cool.... I know it got the finest possible treatment from me. My drops all went smoothly and efficiently. Thank goodness for my GPS. Navigating DFW would have been a bitch without it.

Done with my drops, I head out of town well ahead of rush hour. I hit the Old Navy outlet store in Terrell, TX and realized how beat I was. In spite of the ease with which all the drops went, I forgot that I tarped and untarped, like, three times. I love the work-out, but it caught up with me by the time it was all over.

I hadn't had any time to do laundry lately, so that served as a great excuse to go shopping for some fresh threads. I barely made it across the parking lot to Applebee's for lunch and near passed out on the way back to the truck (lots of room for 18'ers here, BTW). Three hours later and we are back in business. Stopped for the night in Newton, MS. WallyWorld. The parking is in the back for trucks and it is clearly marked. Great little hide-away for an overnight crash. Food and coffee is all nearby.

Get up and haul balls to Kennesaw. I ETA'd my regional DM to 1500 CST sharp. Made it into the consignee at 1452. She was duly impressed and sent a really cool QC just to make sure my work was not going either unnoticed or unrecognized. Something about a positive service report... Funny; never heard of such a thing before @ well,,,, Anyway, the words felt good and this is so consistent with everything I have experienced with Swift to date. All told, this was about a $1000.00 trip to me.

And wouldn't ya know it? My DM hits me with a 1400 miler just as I was approaching my exit to my drop. I will easily surpass my earnings from two weeks ago by several hundred schmack-o's. This gig is amazing.

I shot up a bunch of pix on the way out here. When I get the bug, I will update my blog. Fun stuff along the way.....

I have a 330 mile dead-head to my pick up. I am waiting until the Atlanta rush quiets down before leaving. I got all caught up with my paperwork, did some cleaning and now getting interested in dinner.

I'll get loaded in the morning, make a drop in GA, then it's off to Oklahoma City.... again. I missed hooking up with Bo and Tootie. They were grilling last night. Bo called me just as I was heading for a shower at Love's somewhere along I-20. Could'a killed him (not really) for telling me about dinner. But, he redeemed himself when he told me he had two drivers from a mutually-disliked past employer getting their stuff moved into his trucks. <hehe> Go git 'em, coyboy! 8)

Food now.....

Hey clint....

be careful out there and we will meet up soon!! 8) 8)

I am really glad you are HAPPY!! That makes a big difference in your frame of mind.

Talk to ya soon

tootie

Yes, dear. Very happy. And yes again; it makes all the difference in the world.

Snug as a bug. Some nice surprises today. I got up and made Daimler Chrysler in Ladson, SC this morning at 0845. Low and behold, 5 or 6 other Swiftys waiting to get loaded with Sprinter vans too. most of them were flatbedders and a couple of door-slammers also. We all hung out, shared stories and generally had fun while waiting our turns at the ramps. I had a great time chatting it up with one couple who leases a one year old T-2000 from Swift.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few lease-ops who are doing very nicely with their leased trucks. I ask at every chance I get about their numbers, are they pleased, is the deal meeting their needs and expectations, etc. So far, it sounds like a positive thing. I sure wouldn't mind having a pretty blue W-900 to go zooming around in. And with no other tax shelters currently in place, the write-off is looking mighty attractive.

I must add here the importance, to me, of having other "trucker friends" to speak with while I am out on the road. I have a friend at W/S who I went to driving school with back in San Diego who I speak with all the time. Tootie and Bo have also become good friends to me. I spoke with CB JR for the first time the other day. CrackAces is also a good friend of mine.

It's not so much about being lonely. I am a loner by nature. Where it matters is that I can discuss my thinking, which seems to get back-logged during long periods of not talking to anyone else. In speaking with my fellow truckers, I find it to be much easier to keep moving mentally, which in turn, makes it much easier to keep moving, physically. The friendships help me hear myself think and further, help me stay focused and relaxed while I work. This was lacking during my earlier newbie days and I think it was, in part, due to a lack of connectivity which led to the melt-down I had a year ago. Coupled with my health issues, it was a bit too much.

So it feels appropriate to express my gratitude to those who have availed themselves to me through this board. You folks help make me feel connected.

Back at the farm: My original routing got updated to include a quick delivery of two additional Sprinters to Morrow, GA where I am now parked for the evening. After I make the drop tomorrow morning, I head back down to Ladson to pick up two more, then it's off to Oklahoma City as originally dispatched. That adds another 630-ish miles to an already nice finish to the week. Again, I don't know how it works on the van side, but in flatbed, there seems to be no end to the number of miles you can get, if you run smart and hard.

I landed in a Home Depot parking lot, just a few blocks from the drop site. There's plenty of room here, which is a good thing. Lots of restaurants too. Dinner was easy and so will be getting breakfast. Nice. It's east coast drizzle tonight. The gentle pitter-patter of rain falls on Betty's head as I write this post. I like the humidity and the coolness of spring. Everything across Texas and further east is blooming colors and lots of green; a far cry from wintry Gary, IN.

Pocket another 330 miles in the morning, get loaded again and it's back out west, yet again.

Days off. Hmm. This will conclude my 4th week of solo since being turned loose. I'll be hitting up my DM for a few mental-health days toward the end of next week. I certainly hit the pavement running and I have earned a little r and r. These guys..... Just like the Energizer bunny.

Tried giving you a hollar back... mainly wanted to brag about laying on Waikiki Beach all of this week. heh heh. Good to see things are going well.

samael9 sent you a pm a few days ago

Hey clint

where are you?? We will be leaving the house tomorrow (sat) going to charlotte. We will be on I 40.

tootie

Ohhhh..... Poo poo. Gee; sorry I missed your call tan man. :shock: That's OK. I'm gonna charter a 45-ish foot sloop out of either St. Maarten or Tortola this winter. I'll be sure to give you a jingle while snorkeling off the coast of St. Barts. Nyaah.....

:oops:

Hi Tootie.

Camped out in the Days Inn in Bamberg, SC along I-26. We will cross paths. I am loaded and heading for O-homa City. I-40. Our best friend.... I'll be picking up the 40 west out of Memphis.

Have your people call my people. We'll do lunch.... 8)

So yes. Loaded and moving westward.

I made my drop at the Dodge dealer this morning amidst the drizzle. Piece of cake. The roll-back guy showed up within an hour of making the wrecker call.

The thought of doing I-20 to I-26 east to Ladson again just seemed to be too much after just having done it the day before. So I took US 278 to US 78 down towards Ladson. Slow going, due to all the small towns. But the shorter line kinda balanced out the time.

But what a beautiful ride. It seems like much of what I saw has withstood the test of time. Quaint little towns, beautiful old homes and remnants of the plantation era. It was well worth the trip off the highway.

I made Ladson at 1600 CST. It was me and one other Swifty when I got there. No loading crew though. No worries; I can do this on my own.

The site manager was talking to the other driver and was concerned because the other guy had never loaded the Sprinter vans un-assisted. I told him that I would be happy to help.

Chuck the driver was a cool person. He was afraid of loading the vans, but by the time I got done speaking with him about how we do it, he relaxed and said that he was OK with it. The site manager was also glad, because it just meant that the freight was moving the way it's supposed to.

I backed my rig to the ramps and Chuck helped me set up. Once he saw how everything worked, he saw that it was no big deal after all. I will admit, it is a little spooky at first, driving these things up the skinny little ramps and on to the deck of a skate, but you get used to it.

Once we were both loaded, we moved out to the staging area to tie down. I have tire lasso's, but he was using chains and binders. I helped him place the chains properly and had him set his ratchets while I belted my vans down. After checking his work a couple of times and having him fix a couple of errors, we both felt good about his securement. He was very appreciative of the help and glad that he didn't have to sit until the loading crew showed up for work in the morning.

A box-hauler showed up while we were working, and because of the way they load these things in a dry van, he had to wait until the crew came. The site manager wouldn't let him do it alone. Oh well.

I left PHX last Saturday around 1400. By the time I hit Ladson today, I had 3000 miles for the week. When I make my drop in Oklahoma, I will have racked up 4300 miles in 9 days. Busy-busy..... :lol:

Roll'n...roll'n...roll'n, git them doggies roll'n....... :P

Got that sh&t right, buddy. 'Cept them doggies ain't gittin' rollin' too Swiftly dis mo'nin'...... Slept 'til 0830 CST. Still in bed and sipping coffee. The king-sized bed in my room at the Days Inn has nine pillows and I think I musta made love to each and every one of them at least twice throughout the night. None of them want me to go.... But go I will.

620 from here to Memphis. Joe Jackson once did a song called Where the Hell is Memphis. Can't get it out of my head.... I guess I will find out when Emily, my GPS starts barking at me in a bunch of hours from now.

Oh yes. I picked up a Terk satellite antenna from Love's the other day for $69.95 + tax. Seems that reception in the South was not so great with the standard antenna which came with my Roady XT. It is worth the bux. While the signal still drops out once in a while, it is certainly improved.

Next run past Best Buy, and Betty will have a new iPod too. My old gen-3 20 gig model died after all these years. It was a bit clumsy to use, but it gave me hours and hours of good service. Oh the decisions, though. Nano vs. iPod. Eighty gigs on the new iPod!!!! My music library is 42 gigs. I can put everything in my iTunes on it and still have room to spare. So when the XM get spotty, we can switch gizmos and The Dead, Floyd and all the rest can come blaring out of the Companion 3's in 3D.

The more I continue to look at what I've found, in terms of the "perfect match" with regards to work, the more I find myself falling in love with my job. Swift? Who'd a thunk it?!?!?!?

OK, Geo. I better feed the do-ggies and boot 'em out the door.... YeeHaa

Friggin' Rawhide.... Are we old or what? Better watch out; here comes Rifleman :roll: